Snow and icy temperatures make the hearts of winter sports fans beat faster. Normally. Because this season, they rather bleed at the thought of perfect weather conditions. Skis and snowboard have to stay in the cellar. Protection against infection.

This also determines the everyday life of professional athletes. Whether in alpine skiing, biathlon, ski jumping, cross-country skiing or Nordic combined, the competitions take place under strict hygiene and safety measures. The athletes are shielded, have to stay in their small groups, where they also take their meals - at precisely regulated meal times, wearing disposable gloves.

Competition in corona mode

Luxury problems, you might think. After all, the pros are at least allowed on the slopes, they can travel and stay in hotels. And yet the strict measures mean additional psychological stress in a competitive situation that is tense anyway. With each Corona test, which the pros perform several times a day, the trembling begins as to what the result will be. Because everyone knows that if the result is positive, it means the end - not only for the tested athlete, but also for his or her contacts, colleagues, trainers and coaches.
The mental strength of the athletes plays a special role this season. Just like fitness, technique and equipment, it determines the performance of the athletes. When it comes to equipment, numerous high-performance materials from Evonik are used. They can also be relied on in this special winter sports season.

Top performance requires high-performance plastics

Today's skis are absolute high-tech products that are built from different materials in a sandwich process: The high-performance foam ROHACELL® is an ideal material for the foam core on the inside, wrapped in a fiber-reinforced plastic on the outside, making skis light and resistant at the same time. The sandwich composite thus creates a ski with optimum flexibility and dynamics, at the lowest possible weight.

Extremely resilient material composite

The rigid foam not only plays to its strengths in skiing, but also in ice hockey: In the stick, it ensures that the blade does not break and the player has full control over the puck. The long durability without material fatigue of the high-performance foam is also a plus. But players expect more: they want a stick in which the structure of the blade, and thus the feeling when shooting, does not change even after many shots. In addition, the puck should remain under control after a received pass and not bounce away from the blade. ROHACELL® can absorb the impact energy. This allows the player to control the playing equipment faster and increase the speed of play even more.

High-tech on the skin

Even in sub-zero temperatures, flexible sportswear made of high-tech textile fibers based on the bio-based polymers VESTAMID® Terra from renewable raw materials ensures the best climate. The fabrics made from this material are characterized by their high quality, maximum wear comfort and other special features: The natural bacteriostatic properties ensure that odors are reduced. Another plus: VESTAMID® Terra products have low moisture absorption and also dry quickly after washing.

Good visibility

Low temperatures, harsh weather conditions, dust, creams, or sweat-ski and snowboard goggles also have to withstand quite a bit. TROGAMID® from Evonik is characterized by exceptional weather resistance: It remains flexible and stable even under extreme weather conditions. And thanks to its outstanding chemical resistance, TROGAMID® frames and lenses are also unaffected by sunscreens and the like. What's more, TROGAMID®, the lightweight among materials, makes sports glasses lighter than other materials and significantly improves wearing comfort for sports enthusiasts. The outstanding transparency of TROGAMID® and the ease of processing and coloring offer designers new freedom and ensure great looks.